Dark Horse

• Pricing model: Custom-quoted monthly retainer for ongoing digital marketing services (SEO, PPC, paid social), with some project-based/audit work. Dark Horse’s own site pushes a free audit and then a tailored scope; third-party directories/reviews indicate ongoing monthly engagements and also list project minimums/hourly bands.
• Starting price: €1,000 / project
• Typical range: £2,500 / month
• Billing: Primarily monthly retainer for ongoing campaign management; project-based work is also indicated by directory listings. The agency also offers a free audit before engagement.
• Free trial: Free audit is offered on multiple Dark Horse service pages; no free trial or pilot with paid-service pricing was found.

I found no first-party published price list on Dark Horse’s own website. The clearest concrete spend figure comes from a verified Clutch client review stating they paid £2,500 monthly, and Clutch’s pricing snapshot also summarizes Dark Horse project fees as around £2,500 ($3,000) per month. Sortlist additionally lists Dark Horse services as starting from €1,000/project, while Clutch lists a $10,000+ minimum project size and a $150–$199 average hourly rate; these are directory/platform figures, not a price card published by Dark Horse itself.

Dark Horse engagements are evidenced mainly through Clutch reviews: clients first brief the team on goals and channels, then Dark Horse builds or reshapes PPC/SEO strategy, executes and optimizes campaigns, and manages the work through regular calls plus monthly reporting. Across reviews, delivery appears collaborative and ongoing rather than a one-off handoff, with the agency acting like an embedded team member.

1. 1

   Brief Dark Horse on goals and current setup

   Engagements start with the client explaining business goals and the existing marketing situation. Reviewers describe setting clear objectives such as maintaining ROAS, maximizing cost-effective lead volume, or improving technical/content SEO and backlinks.

2. 2

   Diagnose issues and shape the channel strategy

   Dark Horse then identifies problems or opportunities in the account and creates a strategy around them. In SEO work, clients say the team identified SEO issues and built a content strategy; in paid media, they created target audiences and tailored ad copy by audience and product.

3. 3

   Build or rebuild campaigns and workstreams

   After strategy is agreed, Dark Horse sets up the actual work: building and maintaining Google Search campaigns, creating product- or season-specific paid campaigns, or planning SEO tasks such as technical fixes, backlink building, and digital PR. Clients also supplied creative assets in some paid engagements while Dark Horse handled campaign creation and management.

4. 4

   Run ongoing optimization and maintenance

   The work is delivered as continuous management rather than a fixed launch-and-leave project. Reviewers describe Dark Horse continuously upgrading campaigns, rolling maintenance of Google Ads, adjusting ads and audiences, and flexing to changing business needs while trying to control CPL or improve organic performance.

5. 5

   Review progress in regular check-ins

   Communication appears to be frequent and operational. Clients mention weekly follow-up meetings or weekly calls, with issues discussed and resolved there, and one reviewer also noted in-person meetings while others used virtual meetings, email, phone, or Teams.

6. 6

   Report results and propose next actions

   Dark Horse closes the loop with progress updates and monthly reports. Reviewers specifically mention monthly reporting, progress updates, and proactive suggestions or ideas, although one client said reporting visibility could be stronger for day-to-day spend monitoring.